Author Diary Entries

In this episode, find out how my 2024 Word of the Year — ELEVATE — connects back and translates into my work as a writer... elevating my approach to my work! PLUS, tune in to find out what I am NOT doing this year as an indie author (this decision feels so, so good). Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  Learn more about all of Sagan’s books (including the Polyamorous Passions romcom s...

How can you prioritize writing (or any creative pursuit, or a solopreneur business, or a passion project, or a hobby, etc) when life “gets in the way”? In this episode, learn my 3-step strategy for how to DO this — plus a personal example of this in action with my own writing projects. Want help with unpacking mindset blocks, setting and upholding boundaries, strategizing plans, and keeping accoun...

I began a new solo development dance class last month in preparation for my first-ever solo burlesque show... and that's given me a few ideas for incorporating burlesque choreography and culture into my upcoming romcom novel (Book 8 in the Polyamorous Passions series)! Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  Learn more about all of Sagan’s books (including the Polyamorous Passions r...

This episode provides Q&A inspired by the Weeknight Writers "Writing Alternative Relationships" panel discussion I spoke at this past summer — it's a follow up to our previous two episodes where I answered the first 5 questions:  Q6: In romances, people usually expect a level of sexual tension that leads to sexual catharsis; how can you create a relationship arc where people hav...

This episode provides Q&A inspired by the Weeknight Writers "Writing Alternative Relationships" panel discussion I spoke at this past summer — it's a follow up to our previous episode where I answered the first 3 questions:  Q4: What level of awareness is it important to have when thinking about writing alternative relationships? (harmful tropes to avoid, poor representation tra...

This episode provides Q&A inspired by the Weeknight Writers "Writing Alternative Relationships" panel discussion I spoke at this past summer... About the type of alternative relationships I write in my novels. Q1: Do you believe it’s inherently radical to write alternative relationship models? Q2: How does writing alternative relationships affect the way in which you construct your s...

In this episode, we discuss... Why I write childfree women in my Polyamorous Passions novel and Small Town Stilettos (quick examples of my characters). My personal reasons for being childfree. What it means to be "selfish" (wanting to have children vs not wanting to have children). The societal pressures to have children (a masquerade to control women's bodies). A trope I cannot STA...

In this episode of the Indie Author Weekly podcast, we are doing PART TWO of the book launch recap for Small Town Stilettos: a modern marriage of convenience! We discuss:  Breakdown of book marketing expenses and total monetary investment. Results of the book launch (actual numbers for book sales and dollars earned). Mindset struggles and shifts. Next steps moving forward with general book marketi...

In this episode of the Indie Author Weekly podcast, we are doing PART ONE of the book launch recap for Small Town Stilettos: a modern marriage of convenience! We discuss:  5 marketing strategies I used for the book launch. 6 mistakes I made with this book launch. 7 things I'd do differently with a future book launch. Stay tuned for PART TWO of the Small Town Stilettos book launch recap on nex...

In this episode, we explore how the stand-alone novel Small Town Stilettos fits into the Polyamorous Passions series, and the interconnectedness of the “world” of these polyamorous romantic comedy novels. Learn more about the world of Polyamorous Passions, background on the fictional settings, character overlaps and interactions, and more! Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  Learn mo...

In this episode, we explore... What makes something "frivolous,” vs worthy or deserving of your attention and enjoyment?  Internalized misogyny that can come to play with how we perceive Taylor Swift, romantic comedies, and more. The perceived validity and worthiness of more "serious" content vs women being allowed to have fun and put themselves first. Questions to explore to overco...

“What made you decide to write polyamorous romcoms?” Today we’re answering THIS question! In this episode, we address the luxury and privilege of talking about “controversial” topics such as polyamory and burlesque, the responsibility vs risks of being open about this, the concept of sharing your values without explicitly stating them, the reasoning behind my very deliberate decision to use the se...

"Small Town Stilettos: a modern marriage of convenience" deals with a variety of different themes (including grief, loss, and personal identity) and it’s the perfect novel to discuss at your book club! This episode features 10 book club discussion prompts, ranging from character development to fat positivity to societal expectations of women and more. Get the PDF version of these book cl...

In this episode, I’m addressing a particular complaint that some readers have had in their reviews about my latest romance novel, Small Town Stilettos — some of the reviews dislike the main character, Margaret, because she is perceived as “selfish.” In this episode, we explore this idea a little further: What makes a person selfish? How do we determine whether a person is selfish or not? Why are w...

Happy book release day to Small Town Stilettos: a modern marriage of convenience! In this episode, I share with you what advance readers are already saying about this romance novel, so you can determine whether it's something you might be interested in reading, too... Join me in celebrating this book launch on social media! You can find me on Twitter or Instagram, @Saganlives — a ReTweet abou...

In this episode, I'm doing a reading from the first chapter of Small Town Stilettos — this is the scene where Margaret first hears about how she's being forced into a modern marriage of convenience in order to access her inheritance... Small Town Stilettos on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/174111898-small-town-stilettos Small Town Stilettos on Amazon: https://www.amazon.c...

In this episode, you'll get an overview about the plot of Small Town Stilettos, plus background about the real-life inspiration for this story and how some of the ideas in this novel came about. Small Town Stilettos on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/174111898-small-town-stilettos Small Town Stilettos on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Small-Town-Stilettos-marriage-convenience-e...

Find out 7 ways you can support an indie author with their book launch — this is a wonderful opportunity to support the creatives in your life (and some of these are simple, easy ideas you can do in just a few minutes!) I share why it matters so much to get my novels in the hands of as many people as possible — we are literally changing lives around here and helping more readers discover themselve...

This episode shares the top 7 things I’m doing as part of the “Small Town Stilettos: a modern marriage of convenience” book launch! We discuss… The specific marketing strategies and platforms I’m using, and why I’m doing these particular types of experiments. How this is different from my previous book launches. What’s working well and what I’ve already decided to do differently in future book lau...

Get a sneak peek of Small Town Stilettos: a modern marriage of convenience! This episode features a reading from Chapter 1. Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  Pre-order Small Town Stilettos: https://www.amazon.com/Small-Town-Stilettos-marriage-convenience-ebook/dp/B0C776DB4M Add Small Town Stilettos to your Want to Read list on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55302931...

Today is a special day, because it is COVER REVEAL DAY for my upcoming romance novel, Small Town Stilettos: a modern marriage of convenience! In this episode I want to share more about that novel! Here’s the working blurb… Aunt Eleanor fully intends to arrange a marriage for me from beyond the grave—to my childhood sweetheart, no less—and she doesn’t seem to have considered that I might be falling...

I was originally going to publish Small Town Stilettos: a modern marriage of convenience a couple years ago… so, why has it taken so long to actually publish it?? In this episode, I’m sharing a few of the obstacles that have gotten in my way — plus the story behind the delays I experienced with the cover design, and how that has contributed to my procrastination.  We discuss…  Why the book cover d...

In this episode, I want to follow up on recent episodes where I shared about my writing experiment of doing 4,000 words/day for a full week. You can learn about the background of this experiment in Episode 145, and the results from my first attempt in Episode 147. I’d also recommend tuning into Episode 148, in which I also share all about how I mapped out the entire story and chapter outline in gr...

Curious about how an author organizes themes, plots, scene ideas, chapter outlines, etc? We’re covering all of that in this behind-the-scenes look at my current work-in-progress, Book 8 of the Polyamorous Passions series!  This episode includes: Follow up to Episode 147 — re: going back to the drawing board with my current romcom work-in-progress novel (Book 8 in the Polyamorous Passions series) T...

This episode gives you an update on the book writing experiment I recently tested! We discuss: UPDATE on my book writing experiment that I told you about in Episode 145 of my Indie Author Weekly podcast (writing 4,000 words/day for a full week, and not doing any other business tasks) How I prepped for writing the actual book itself Daily breakdown of how that first week of the experiment went 3 re...